Review of Ginny and Ron Weasley mini-busts
Harry Potter

Introduction

While the Harry Potter series of busts has never done quite the business for Gentle Giant that the Star Wars busts have, the series is still clocking along with some key releases planned in 2009. The first two to hit are Ron Weasley in his Quidditch gear, and his sister Ginny Weasley.  Harry in his Quidditch gear should be here any day now, and they have a new version of Sirius Black and Dumbledore still coming out in '09, as well as a fantastic looking Kreacher. And let's not forget, there's always the potential SDCC exclusive...

Gentle Giant has wisely dropped the edition sizes though, and both Ron and Ginny are only 700. They've managed to keep the retail price at about the same place though, and you should be able to pick these two up for no more than $50, and more likely, under $45.

With the film finally hitting in July, and the final two films in production, the juggernaut won't be slowing down for several more years. Those of us that enjoy collecting the busts can only hope that there remains enough interest to keep the line going just as long.

Packaging - ***1/2
They are using the standard boxes, and it includes both a photo of the character and the bust itself. They've used the small window too, which I'm a big fan of since it allows you to check out the actual bust you're buying before dropping your hard earned cash.

Of course, the box and interior foam trays also do job one just fine - keeping the bust safe and sound. And there's the usual spiffy baseball card style Certificate of Authenticity.

Sculpting - Ron ***1/2; Ginny **1/2
It seems rather consistent, but Gentle Giant has trouble doing the female characters in Harry Potter. Ginny turns out not to be an exception to the unfortunate rule.

Thankfully however, she's not outright ugly like their attempt at Chang Cho, for example. She has some issues with likeness, but at least she's fairly attractive.

It does look like there's some mold release problems again, though, causing her nose to be a bit elongated, and her face to be slightly smooshed. It's not as bad as some past releases have been, but it is noticeable, and it certainly makes her look less like Ginny.

The work on her clothing and hair is excellent. There's good detail in the strands of hair, and by sculpting some of the patterns in her sweater and including small sculpted details like the zippers, her clothing has a bit more depth. The clothing is still not textured, but at least these details add some tactile punch to the outfit.

The also did a nice job sculpting the hair over the ears, allowing them to show through slightly. It's a nice touch that adds some realism to the bust.

My least favorite aspect is the elongated alien-like fingers, although these are not as bad as we've seen on some GG releases either.

If you were disappointed with the past Ron bust, this one just might make up for it. The likeness is much better, matching the older version pretty well. The hair sculpt is also quite detailed, and I didn't see the same issues with the face being deformed in any way.

The clothing could really use some texture to make it look less sculpted and more real, but the multi-layered outfit still looks pretty amazing. Clearly, some of this was done as separate pieces and assembled, which gives it much more depth and definition.

Scale to other busts is good for both of them, and Ginny is about the right size (slightly smaller) in relation to the other characters.

Paint - **1/2
Unfortunately, the paint doesn't really do all it could to help the sculpts, which is particularly disappointing with Ron.

The paint work on him from the neck down is not the issue, however. The costume is extremely well done, and I love the colors and vibrancy. I can even deal with the slightly glossy appearance, although mixing up the finishes on different parts of the clothes would have really helped.

No, Ron's problems are all in his face. The cartoony eyebrows, uneven lips, and dead eyes do nothing to bring out the excellent likeness that's underneath.

Ginny has this same dead, mannequin-like appearance, and also suffers from one eye being slightly off center. Her eyebrows and lips are a little cleaner looking than Ron's, but her clothing has more issues with sloppy cut lines and detailing.

Design - ***1/2
I liked Ginny's basic design - slightly crouched, anticipating a fight, wand at the ready - right from the get go. The pose has a slightly dynamic feel to it, but isn't over done or over wrought.

Ron I wasn't too sure about. He's slumped at the shoulders, his belly sticking out a bit, in not exactly the most heroic stance.

But the longer I've had it, the more it's grown on me. It does fit the personality of the character fairly well, and is a much better representation than the silly ball gown version we got previously.

Value - ***
I'm fairly impressed that these busts are still only around $50. We've been paying that price for years now, even with rising prices for most other collectibles. Considering the low production runs on this pair, it's a welcome sign.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. Obviously, you'll want to handle them as you would any breakable bust, but there's nothing special about these two that could cause unique issues.

Overall - ***
The weakest issue for both of these busts is the paint work. When you look at what Hot Toys is doing with their quarter scale busts, you see what I mean.

Ginny has the additional issues with her likeness, although she's much better than past busts like Cho, Luna, or even the first Hermione. I almost dropped her another half star, but the value and design saved her.

Ron has paint issues too, and while I like his sculpt and design, they can't overcome the lifelessness in his eyes. That being said, I think most folks will much prefer having this version on the shelf than the previous attempt.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - Ron ***1/2; Ginny **1/2
Paint - **1/2
Design - ***1/2
Value - ***
Overall - ***

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has both for $50 each.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've covered most, if not all, of the Harry Potter busts:

- last was the Lupin's, regular and transforming.

- prior to that was another set of 'twins', the Weasleys.

- I've covered others including light up Harry, Cho Chang, Luna Lovegood, Draco Malfoy, Merperson mini-bust, Voldemort, Hagrid and Mad Eye Moody, Ron and Hermione, Snape and Dumbledore, Dobby and Dementor, and a guest review of Harry and Sirius.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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